4 Nights | £429 pp

Fly direct to Krakow. On arrival join the private transfer to your hotel where you will spend 4 nights.

Day 2

This morning your local guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a four-hour walking tour of the city. Learn about Krakow's fascinating history and heritage, taking in some beautiful examples of Gothic and Renaissance architecture as you go. Top of the list must surely be Wawel Castle, the very symbol of Poland's national pride and identity. A tour inside reveals Poland's very own crown jewels. The tour also encompasses Krakow's picturesque Old Town, dominated by the Main Market Square, Rynek Glówny. The Market Square ranks amongst the largest medieval squares in Europe and throughout history has served as a focal point to large city events. There is time to relax before a late afternoon excursion to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, situated a 40-minute drive outside Krakow. A UNESCO World Heritage Suite, the Salt Mine started life in the Middle Ages and represents one of Europe's oldest functioning mines.

Day 3

This morning is devoted to uncovering the city’s Communist past and to really capture the authenticity and flavour of life during the Communist era, you’ll travel with your English-speaking guide in a genuine East German Trabant car. Your journey starts in the Socialist suburb of NowaHuta, famed as Stalin’s gift to Krakow and one of the most elaborate examples of social engineering. Pausing for refreshments at a Communist-style restaurant, your tour takes in an immaculately-preserved Communist apartment museum where you’ll see original propaganda films, photos and maps depicting life in 1970s Poland before lunch in an authentic Communist milk bar. The rest of the day is free for you to spend as you wish, perhaps just sitting awhile in a café and absorbing the sights and sounds of the city, visiting one of the many museums for which Krakow is famous or exploring the Jewish heritage trail in Kazimierz and across the river in Podgórze, site of Schindler’s Factory.

Day 4

Today’s full-day excursion takes you out of the city on a poignant journey of remembrance to Auschwitz, a name synonymous with tragedy, persecution and mass genocide. The largest of the World War II concentration and extermination camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau was specifically designed as a death camp not only for Jews but also for Poles, gypsies, Russian prisoners of war and other nationalities deemed fit to be there by the Nazi regime. Reaching Auschwitz after a 90-minute drive from Krakow, you’ll have an in-depth guided tour in English of both Auschwitz and Birkenau (including transportation between the two camps), lasting approximately three and a half hours. This is a thoroughly moving and utterly memorable tour that will resonate for years to come.

Day 5

Check out of your hotel and join the private transfer to the airport for the return flight to the UK. If time permits you can leave your luggage with the hotel and enjoy a last few hours exploring the city.

@2017All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate